The Story of Zhou Que
by Flowned
Summary: Zhou Que is an 18 year old boy who was raised by his uncle after his parents died. After his uncle died too,he joined a group of bandits, but what he didn't know was that this was the beginning of a new life. A long story divided in shorter chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Zhou Que**

1.

The bandit leader was waiting in his tent. He was in a bad mood, the man he sent to scout the area hadn't come back yet. He hated waiting, so he started bossing of his bandits. Time flies when you boss of some of your underlings, he thought. And it did, suddenly a bandit walked into his tent with the message that the scout had returned. "Bring him here." he said.

A tall man stepped inside. He wore a simple chainmail vest and pants. He also wore iron boots, steel faulds around his waist, shoulder pads, gauntlets and a helmet with a ridge sticking forward. On the helmet he had a large plume. But the most interesting thing he had with him, was the abnormally long sword. It was almost twice as long as himself. It only had one sharp side, and the blade had some gemstones in it. It was a sword to behold. He said his family carried it on for generations. But all of that wasn't important right now. He was late, and that's what mattered now.

"Zhou Que!" the bandit leader shouted. "You are late! How dare you keep me waiting? You better have a good reason for this!"The tall man remained calm. "My apologies my lord, but I was delayed. We were ambushed on our way back. We lost 3 men."The bandit leader turned red. "They know we're here!" He said furiously. "I don't think so, the ambush was obviously from some other bandits. It's nothing to worry about."

The bandit leader muttered something. He actually hoped to have a good reason to be extremely mad at someone. "Well?"he said. "what's your report then?" The man still had the same face as when he came in. Sometimes the bandit leader thought he didn't have any emotion at all. " The village doesn't suspect a thing, my lord" He said. "But it's only a night raid. We aren't going to kill innocent people. Right my lord?" The man seemed uncertain. He didn't like killing innocent people. The only reason he joined a bandit group, was because he hadn't found a place to live after his uncle died. "Of course not, Zhou Que." The leader said innocent. There was a long silence. Suddenly a bandit came in. "Leader Hang Feng! We're ready to move out!


	2. Chapter 2

2.

The army stood upon the hill in front of the village, making some final adjustments. "I leave you in charge Li Gan". Hang Feng said. "Zhou Que, you're second in command. Don't delay this time". Zhou Que and Li Gan nodded. They didn't like each other much. Li Gan was always in command when Hang Feng was gone. But that wasn't the problem. Li Gan was a harsh and violent man. He was always asking if there could be victims, while Zhou Que always asked if they could leave innocent people unharmed. Luckily Hang Feng always agreed with Zhou Que, he just wanted money, nothing more.

Zhou Que quietly led his group through the village. The bandits took whatever they could find. Then he noticed something odd, Li Gan had a strange grin on his face. Probably from the thought of all the treasure they are going to get, he thought. Suddenly he heard someone shout. It wasn't a shout out of fear, it was more like a command to attack. Zhou Que quickly turned around. He saw all that he had feared for, and more.

The bandits drew their weapons, torches and bombs, and started to plunder the village, even his own group. Burning every house they came by, slaughtering every villager they passed, they ran through the burning village. And then he figured it out: Hang Feng had given Li Gan permission to kill people this time. Of course he didn't tell Zhou Que, because he would do everything to stop it. He quickly searched for Li Gan, but before he could even notice him, he was captured. His arms were tied, and he couldn't do anything. He was taken out of the village, back to the hill.

Finally there, he was pushed on his knees. And none other than Hang Feng and Li Gan stood before him, grinning. "What's the meaning of this?" Zhou Que uttered. He was furious, confused and astonished. He was betrayed, but why? Because he would protest, and they wanted to get rid of him? "Why are you doing this!"He shouted again. Hang Feng laughed. "You're not yourself Zhou Que. I thought you were a calm person.""Why are you betraying me?"Zhou Que shouted. "That's a funny story."Hang Feng responded. "I'm sick of you, trying to not make any victims. We're bandits for god's sake! Of course we kill! Besides, you always stood in the way of my plans, you're always late, you always beg us to spare lives…"Zhou Que yelled back: "You know that that's not true! You're just impatient. There's some other reason! Tell me!" Hang Feng lifted one eyebrow. "Hush hush, there's no need to yell at me, but you're right. There is another reason. Look at your armor, it's worth a fortune! And that blade.. When I sell that, I never need to work again." Hang Feng snapped with his fingers. "You two! Come with me, and take him with us. We're going to execute him.

They walked a few meters away from the group. Zhou Que was pushed on his knees, and his head was pushed forward. One of the men took a big sword, and stood behind him. He aimed, and striked.

Suddenly Zhou Que didn't know what came over him. He rolled aside, and put his arms forward. The blade cut precisely through the rope that bound his hands. He drew his sword, and quickly killed the two soldiers. Then he turned around. Hang Feng looked terrified, and he slowly walked back. Then he remembered that he also had a sword, and he was the bandit leader, nothing could ever happen to him. He charged at Zhou Que, his sword sticking forward. But Zhou Que was far more skilled with a sword, and parried the stab without any effort. He spinned his sword, as it came down with a devastating strike. Straight through the neck of Hang Feng. Hang Feng stood still. He had no idea what just happened. Slowly he fell backwards. He was already dead before he hit the ground.

Zhou Que stood there for a moment. He was concentrating, what to do next. Where would he go? Suddenly Li Gan appeared on his horse, shocked by the sight of his dead leader. Out of pure rage, he charged his horse at Zhou Que. Totally in control, Zhou Que set a step backwards, he stabbed his long sword forward, straight through Li Gan's belly. Thrusting him off the horse. As Zhou Que drew his sword out of Li Gan's belly, he ran to his horse. As he mounted it, Li Gan screamed out of pain. "Come back here! Help! Kill him! You will not get away with this!" But Zhou Que didn't even listen to him. He told the horse to run, and it ran away instantly. The direction didn't matter, as long as it was away from the bandits, the village, Li Gan, the massacre, everything.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Zhou Que had been riding for days now. He didn't sleep well, the last couple of days. He knew that he would be hunted by the bandit group. As Li Gan probably was appointed as new bandit leader, they wouldn't rest until they found him. And although he was a skilled swordsman, a whole gang of bandits would be too much for him. So he rode, until he saw a village where he could rest.

But he didn't see any village in almost another week. When he finally entered the local inn, he could barely stand straight. "Good day to you sir." the owner spoke kindly. " You look exhausted, you're seeking for a place to stay at night?" Zhou Que tried to smile, but without success. "Yes please" he said shortly. "Can I enter right now?" he asked. "You can sir. There is an empty room in the hallway over there. It's the third room on your left." Zhou Que nodded and paid the owner. "Thank you sir, have a good night." the owner said. Zhou Que walked into the hallway. He opened the door and took a look at his new room. It looked quite comfortable, but didn't everything after traveling for weeks? No matter, he would sleep well this night. He laid down, and as fast as he slept in, he woke up. One of the maids woke him for dinner. A little cranky he stepped out of bed. But he was glad the maid woke him up, because his meal wasn't any decent on his travels. And he could really us a good meal right now. After that he went straight to bed again. And slept whole night long.

He woke up late , around one o'clock in the afternoon. He was surprised, he knew he was tired yesterday, but he never knew that he'd be this tired. Mostly he woke up around six o'clock, when he lived with the bandits…He shook his head, better not think of that right now. He had to think what to do next. Anyway, he had to eat some breakfast. He walked down the hallway, when the owner saw him he smiled. "Finally awake, good sir? You look much better than yesterday evening." Zhou Que smiled, "Thank you" he said. It was nice that someone acted nice towards him. He only heard bossy commands for a long time. He gave the innkeeper some extra money. "May the heavens bless you, good sir." He said gratefully. After a hearty breakfast, Zhou Que left the inn. The first thing to do was to go buy some food, he thought.

When he left the village, he didn't have an actual destination. He just went somewhere, hoping he would find a place to stay. He couldn't stay at one place for too long. The risk that the bandits would catch up with him was too big. After riding for two days, he suddenly noticed something. The city he was about to enter, was truly large. It was a magnificent sight to behold. On a sign in front of the city gate, there was written something. Zhou Que looked closely, it said:

'Jiangdong, home of Sun Ce, leader of the Sun clan.'

He heard of the Sun clan before. It was a great family, who did good deeds to the land. But that Sun Ce was their leader was new to him. He heard of the leader that he was called 'the Tiger of Jiangdong'. Sun Jian was his name, he remembered. Did he die? Well, it didn't matter much, as long as he could stay here for a couple days he was satisfied.

As he walked though the city gates, he could not help but notice the large amount of soldiers walking through the city halls. But it was not like they suppressed the people, they even greeted each other. "It looks like this Sun clan has a lot of authority around these parts." Zhou Que thought. He walked into an open field of grass within the village. It was nice and the sun shined down just softly enough, so that it would not be an intense light, but a beautiful light. He walked toward it. As he stood in the middle of the field, he felt peaceful. And suddenly that feeling of peace changed in a feeling of fear. Up ahead, a group of men, leaded by one man, started walking toward him. Zhou Que knew instantly who the leading man was. It was Li Gan.

Without saying a word, Li Gan drew his sword and gave the attack order. Every bandit charged at Zhou Que. Zhou Que also drew his sword, for he knew that he couldn't count on any mercy. He killed the first bandits quite easily, but then the bigger numbers came, and it became a truly hard fight.

One by one, the bandits fell to Zhou Que's blade. But the bandits just kept coming, and Zhou Que knew he couldn't hold on for long now. To his relief, Li Gan ordered the bandits to stop fighting. But there still was an uneasy feeling. "Don't think this is mercy." Li Gan said angry. "You and I will fight this out in a duel." he said. The bandits formed a circle around them. They were all cheering Li Gan on. And the battle was about to begin.

Li Gan swept his sword horizontally to Zhou Que. Zhou Que jumped backwards, and formed a counter attack. He slashed at Li Gan diagonally, only so Li Gan had no choice but to roll forward. And he did. As soon as he rolled toward Zhou Que, Zhou Que kicked him back, as Li Gan Fell on the ground. "Could it really be this easy?" Zhou Que asked himself, but as soon as he thought those words, he took them back, as Li Gan flipped back on his feet almost immediately. He looked furious. "Fine then! There is no need for us to fight, I have an entire bandit group under my command! Shoot him!" Zhou Que lost all the hope of living he had left. This was it, he was going to die. He heard the sound of bows shooting of their arrows, it were almost fifty bows. He closed his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Zhou Que waited. This would be his final moment. Everything would end here, and now. He would die within three seconds now… But nothing happened. He opened his eyes. He was perplexed, every bandit lied down on the ground, dead. There were multiple arrows sticking out of their bodies. Then he looked to Li Gan, who also took about two arrows through his chest. Without saying a word, he fell down. Those shots he heared, they weren't the shots of the bandits! But who rescued him?

Zhou Que looked around, multiple citizens were standing on the egde of the field, amazed, but also scared. They all looked at him. But then they suddenly looked another way. A man stepped out of the crowd, followed by several soldiers, all were wielding a bow. The man however didn't, he had a katana with him. Sheeted on his belt. The man was fully armored, and at least six and a half feet tall. He also wore a plume on his helmet, but this one was more orange- like, and wasn't as long as that of himself. The man headed for Zhou Que.

"That was quite a fight you put up there."The man said. "We were Lucky we were able to save you." Zhou Que didn't understand it. " What do you mean?" He was still a bit confused about what just happened. "I mean we could use a man like you. Why don't you join our army?" Zhou Que was overthrown, first the man rescued him, and then he asked him to join the Wu army! It was pretty logic though, he was wearing an armor with a huge sword. Of course he would be asked this question. But he didn't answer instantly, when he was part of a big "fighting organization" he was betrayed. But this wasn't just a group of bandits, this was an army, doing what it could do to bring peace to the land. "Do you have a name?" The man suddenly asked. Zhou Que answered. "My name is Zhou Que, son of Zhou Pen. But I was raised by my uncle, Zhou Yan." The man turned white, and tried to say something. He tried to redeem himself, and spoke: "It appears we are cousins then"…

Zhou Que also turned white, and didn't speak. The two men stood in front of each other. "Don't you remember me?" the man asked with a vague smile on his face. "I….I Don't." Was the only thing Zhou Que could say. "I am your cousin Zhou Tai. I left you with my father after I heard my uncle, or your father, died. I left shortly thereafter." It all came back to Zhou Que, he was only a toddler when it happened. His father was killed by bandits, and his mother turned insane, and committed suicide. That's what his uncle told him. "Yes…Yes I remember you…" Zhou Que said soft. Zhou Tai sighed from relief. But then put his straight, serious face up. "So, I assume you will join our army as a general?" Zhou Que was a bit surprised, that his cousin put his serious face up already. "Yes I will". He said. And as he walked along with Zhou Tai, the two remained silent, but Zhou Que couldn't help but notice the happiness his cousin's eyes…


	5. Chapter 5

5.

As they entered the palace, Zhou Que saw prints an statues of tigers everywhere. It was amazing to behold. They kept walking straight forward, so they were probably heading direct to the throne room. On their way Zhou Que noticed soldiers and lieutenants looking at him, as if they knew him once, but didn't quite remember him. Zhou Tai probably just never brought visitors with him. Suddenly Zhou Tai stopped moving. "You will wait here, until you have permission to enter the throne room. I will go ahead". Zhou Que sat on a couch against the wall, and waited.

After a minute of five, a guard came through the doors. "You have permission to enter the throne room. Follow me." he said. Zhou Que stood up and followed the guard. As he walked into the throne room, he noticed that the room wasn't very special. The room was huge, but the only object in the room was a decorated couch, a long red carpet, leading to the couch, and some pillars. The couch stood upon a small platform however, so the king would still stand above his underlings. Zhou Que stood at the foot of the platform. He signed to Zhou Que that he had to kneel. Zhou Que kneeled immediately. "So you are the cousin of Zhou Tai huh?" Emperor Sun Ce spoke.

It remained quiet for a while, Zhou Que hoped that he didn't make a bad impression. Suddenly emperor Sun Ce started to laugh. "Haha, great! It's always good to have a new man to aid us!" Zhou Que was surprised by the emperor's jolly character, but he was glad he made a good impression. "Go Zhou Que, and make yourself at home!" Zhou Que stood up. "Thank you my lord. I will serve you till the day I die." Zhou Que responded. "Haha, I can see that you are Zhou Tai's cousin, just as serious! Zhou Tai, would you be so kind to shoq Zhou Que his way around the palace?" Zhou Tai bowed, "Of course my lord" and signed to Zhou Que to do the same. Then they left the throne room. And as Zhou Tai showed Zhou Que around the palace, every general was nice to him, and the soldiers respected him. Even though he'd been here for just one day, it already felt like home.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Zhou Que stood outside of the palace. He was in the palace gardens, painting. The gardens were magnificent, peaceful and quiet. He loved being here, it was a place to think, and come to yourself. Painting was just a passtime for him, it wasn't something special. He wasn't very good at it either. While he was thinking all this, a guard came to him. My lord, emperor Sun Ce wants to see you.

Zhou Que walked through the hallway. He met Zhou Tai on his way, he was also summoned by emperor Sun Ce. The Sun clan was about to begin a military campaign against Wei. Wei was the home of the warlord Cao Cao, a ruthless and cruel man. But that didn't matter, the only thing to focus on right now was the assignments they would be given. When they entered the chart room Sun Ce was bowing over a map. It was a map of the castle they would lay siege on. The strategy they were going to use was clear. They'd split up, lord Sun Ce's army would attack the western wall of the castle, and Sun Quan's army would attack the south wall and main gate. Sun Quan was the brother of Sun Ce. They were told in which army they were classified. Zhou Tai was classified in Sun Quan's army. "Okay Zhou Que, in this battle you will prove your worth as a general of the Sun clan. You will lead your own small army to attack the eastern side of the castle. With that, we got Wei with their backs against the wall!"

Zhou Que turned white. He'd been here for only a couple of days, he led a few bandits before, but this was something else. This was a trained army, full of strategic matters. He didn't know if he could do it. Zhou Tai noticed that Zhou Que was overthrown with responsibility. "Don't worry, if you just do as you are told, it won't be a problem at all. Besides, I see the gift of leadership in you. When you get there, you'll notice how good you are. You are born to do this." Zhou Que felt a little more comfortable, but still not quite well. "Yea, what Zhou Tai said!" emperor Sun Ce said, as cheerful as ever. " It won't be a problem at all! Just follow the instructions I will give." Zhou Que smiled, but there was still worry in his face. Sun Ce noticed it. "Truly, Zhou Que, you can do it. I put my trust in you." he sounded very seriously and calming now, as if he truly didn't want Zhou Que to feel uncertain about this. "Even you trust me with this, my lord?" Zhou Que responded. Sun Ce returned his happy face again. "Of course I do! Just don't worry about it." Zhou Que felt happy, that these people truly cared about him. "Alright my lord, I will lead the siege on the eastern wall." He said. "Fantastic!" Sun Ce responded. "Well, let's get going!"

They marched. Zhou Que could see the castle already, it was really big. "Is this the home of Cao Cao?" He asked Zhou Tai. "This is one of his many homes, Cao Cao is truly powerful. Don't underestimate the situation here, stay sharp." "Great" Zhou Que thought. He was already amazed by Sun Ce's palace, and now he found out that Cao Cao had many more of them. "No."He said to himself, don't despair now. He may have more land, but what does it say about his army? Nothing that is. Suddenly they stopped. "Alright, Zhou Que, you know what to do." Sun Ce said. "Yes my lord."Zhou Que responded. His assignment was to lure the enemy to the eastern walls, so the south and western wall remained undefended. "The catapults are ready Zhou Que. I suggest you move there now." Sun Ce said. "Of course my lord." As Zhou Que turned around and walked away, Sun Ce said to him: "Zhou Que, we will win this battle, I just know it." Zhou Que, stood still for a moment. Without looking back he said: "Thank you, my lord."

All of Zhou Que's men stood before the eastern wall, Zhou Que stood in the front line. He waited for the signal to attack. Suddenly a horn blow echoed through the sky. That was the signal to attack! Zhou Que drew his sword, he heard some soldiers whispering. "Wow, look at that sword!" "Look at its length!" He ignored it. "Charge men! Make them feel the wrath of the Sun clan!" His shout echoed upon the field. The men shouted in harmony, and started running to the castle walls. The battle had began.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Zhou Que ordered the men to place ladders against the castle wall. It was done immediately Zhou Que waited a couple of seconds, so his men could climb first. After that he climbed also upward. It was a long climb, men falling aside him. Zhou Que saw to his shocking astonishment that his men hadn't set a foot on the wall. They were kicked of immediately. He had to come up with something. He had an idea, but not a good one. But it was either that, or let his men fall from the wall. He started to climb with a stunning speed. He jumped on the wall, unsheathed his sword, and began to swung into nowhere. There were none of his men on the wall yet, so he wouldn't hit them. He would however, hit all the soldiers of the enemy. Who were stunned by this display. And because his sword was so long, he hit an great number of soldiers. He could get the men to climb up now. He looked back, seeing that the men were already on the wall. He was satisfied. No more suicide actions for now, he hoped.

It went far better than he'd imagined. They were already close in taking the eastern castle wall. Now Wei had to send reinforcements for real, not just for a feint attack. He looked over the castle, he saw Zhou Tai's men fighting at the south wall, and Sun Ce's man fighting at the west wall. Everything went according to plan, even better!

When the last of the eastern wall soldiers was cut down, Zhou Que looked for Wei reinforcements to come, but there weren't any. Then he noticed Zhou Tai coming to him. "We already cut of the Wei reinforcements to the eastern wall. And lord Sun Ce managed to clear the western wall. We should move to the north wall. And capture the keep." Zhou Que was overjoyed, this would be his first victory in the Wu army, but it was too soon to draw conclusions. He retained himself. "Yes, once we've captured the keep, this battle is as good as won." he said, and together they went to the keep.

As they entered the keep, they saw Sun Ce's men already fighting. When they joined the fight their selves, they drove the enemy back at lightning speed. Zhou Que noticed a man in heavy armor fleeing the castle with a couple of men. "Zhou Tai, look!" Zhou Tai turned around. "That's Cao Ren, one of Cao Cao's cousins. He was in charge of the castle. This means we've prevailed." Zhou Tai responded, still holding his straight face. When the last Wei soldier was cut down, the man yelled. They'd prevailed indeed. "I will go around the walls and check if there are truly no survivors." Zhou Tai said. Zhou Que nodded.

It took about fifteen minutes before he got back. His face was pale, and he looked shocked. Zhou Que's great mood fell apart. When Zhou Tai showed emotion, there was either something very wrong, or something very, very good. But that pale face could only mean something wrong. Zhou Que ran to his cousin. "Zhou Tai! What's wrong?" Zhou Tai didn't answer. "Come on Zhou Tai! Please answer!" Zhou Que yelled, and grabbed his cousin by both shoulders. "It's…i'ts… lord Sun Ce…" He responded. "He's dead…"


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Thousands of thoughts went through Zhou Que's head. How could emperor Sun Ce die? Why? He was always such a jolly person. He looked at his hands. They were, despite a few scratches, pale white. He didn't feel anything anymore. "But…" He spoke to Zhou Tai. "But how…" Zhou Tai grabbed his shoulder, a little upset. "Don't ask me how, or why. I just heard the news to. He was also my lord and emperor! Get a hold of yourself, Zhou Que." Zhou Que still didn't understand how Zhou Tai tried to show no emotion, but he was sort of right. Just stand here and ask about how or why wouldn't help at all. The first thing they needed to do was bring the emperor back to Jiangdong.

At the cremation everyone in the city was welcome. Only a couple of guards, were stationed on the city walls. There was a chance that the city would be attacked, because everyone was at the cremation. All the generals, lieutenants and strategists had a front seat. Family of the emperor stood next to the arc he was laid in. It was a very sad moment, the sister of the emperor cried all the time, and his brother, who was now emperor, looked totally of the world. There wasn't any happiness in his eyes. Of course, nobody had happiness in their eyes, but he looked the most sad of everyone. There was also sorrow in his eyes. He had to take over an entire kingdom. Zhou Tai sat there, next to Zhou Que, with no emotion in his eyes at all, as always. Zhou Que didn't cry, but he looked sad also, and also discouraged. Lord Sun Ce gave him a home, was kind to him, and trusted him from the very first time they met. Zhou Que didn't knew if his brother Sun Quan would also trust him, or be kind to him. When the fire was lit, everyone kept quiet. All the generals were called to the arc, to speak their last oath and farewell. And so it happened, that Zhou Que also swore an oath to himself. He would always protect any member of the Sun family, even if it meant his own death.

Days went by, with no activity. It was a horrible week, everyone was sad, they had nothing to do. Even the palace gardens couldn't give Zhou Que peace. He was in his room, sitting behind his desk, doing nothing. Suddenly the door opened. The main strategist Zhou Yu, and also a close friend to Sun Ce and Sun Quan, entered the room. He looked around, and walked to Zhou Que. "Lord Zhou Que, is it?" He spoke. "I can't recall we've spoken to each other before." He observed Zhou Que's room. He stood still for a moment, looking at Zhou Que's long blade. "Impressive", he said to himself. "Do you enjoy fighting, lord Zhou Que?" he asked. " I enjoy the victory, if it is for a good cause. The people we are fighting are mostly people who fight for what they believe in, just like you and me. To kill those brave souls, I do not enjoy that. But if it is for the Sun family, it is my duty to do so. It is not something I dislike, but I don't enjoy it either. I have to do what must be done." Zhou Yu was surprised with this answer. "I see you share the gift of an open mind, lord Zhou Que. To not be obsessed by the art of war, it is a rare phenomenon you'll find in an army. Especially by the officers of one. Tell me, are you interested in any other art, like painting, or poetry?" Zhou Que looked his way. "I do enjoy painting, or walking in the palace gardens." Zhou Yu smiled. "Hmm," he said quietly. "I think we could get along well, lord Zhou Que. Oh I almost forgot, emperor Sun Quan wants everyone in the city to gather at the central plaza. He asked if I would invite you." Zhou Que stood up. "It would be my pleasure, my lord."


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Zhou Que walked with Zhou Yu through the hallway. He wondered why emperor Sun Quan had gathered everyone. When they arrived, Zhou Que saw every villager on the plaza, whispering about what would be next. When Zhou Que took a seat, he saw that Sun Quan stood up from his chair. "People of Jiangdong!" He said. "I've gathered you all here to make an announcement! You are here and now witness of the establishment of an entire new empire. Not only will we live in the city of Jiangdong, we will live in a entire new land! My brother laid the foundations, and now I will build upon them. I hereby establish the kingdom of Wu!"

It remained quiet. Everyone in the city of Jiangdong, now the capital of the new empire of Wu, was speechless. Zhou Que sat in his chair, with almost an open mouth. This was amazing. He indeed witnessed the beginning of a new age. This would cause a lot of things. It would cause a lot of work, a lot of foreign competition. It would also cause a lot of war, but then again, it might also bring peace. Zhou Que thought it over, and it seemed like the right thing to do. He stood up. He unsheathed his sword and raised it in the air. "Then I will fight by your side your highness, I will support the kingdom of Wu!" It remained quiet. Then suddenly, to Zhou Que's relief, Zhou Tai also stood up from his chair. "And so will I. I will fight to bring a better future." And then there was a chain reaction. First every general stood up and swore to fight by Wu's side. Then the lieutenants, then the soldiers and then the villagers. Everything turned out in a loud cheering. Everyone was shouting. Zhou Que noticed the relief on Sun Quan's face, it must have been a huge step to make this decision. But he did it, and the people agreed with him. The kingdom of Wu was born.

There had to be all kinds of arrangements to be made. Too many to be mentioned, and Zhou Que's weeks were as busy as a week can be. Then there finally was some action. Sun Quan started a military campaign against Huang Zu, the murderer of his father, Sun Jian. Zhou Tai told him that Sun Quan's and Sun Ce's father was killed in an ambush, casted upon him by Huang Zu. After the death of their father, Sun Ce, the oldest, took over their homeland, Jiangdong. After that Zhou Que came and he knew the rest. Zhou Que offered to participate himself, despite the fact that he never knew lord Sun Jian, he knew how it felt to lose someone close to him. And with lord Sun Ce gone almost at the same time, Sun Quan must have all kinds of feelings of revenge barreled up inside him. And Zhou Que agreed to assist him in his conquest for vengeance. And two weeks after the kingdom of Wu was born, they marched.

"What's the situation, my lord?"Zhou Que asked. Lord Sun Quan pointed at a map. "This is where Huang Zu is currently residing. He knows we're coming, so he will be prepared. But we're also prepared. I will split the army in two groups, I will lead the first group, and Zhou Yu will lead the other one. Zhou Que and Zhou Tai, you're in my group. You will join me in a frontal assault on the enemy's main camp." Zhou Que thought the idea through. "My lord, if I may." Lord Sun Quan nodded. "Isn't a frontal assault exactly what the enemy expects us to do?" Sun Quan grinned. "Exactly, Zhou Que. You have a good eye for tactics, but we've already got that covered. While they concentrate on our frontal assault, Zhou Yu will launch a fire attack from behind. The enemy will panic and that will bring complete disorder to their ranks. Then the battle is as good as won." Zhou Que smiled, the new emperor had at least a good eye for strategies, but did he also have a sense of leadership as good as his brother? Sun Quan had high expectations to live up to, and would stand under enormous pressure, but so far, he seemed the right one to lead them into battle.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

They stood upon the hill, in front of the battlefield. Zhou Que looked over the battlefield, something seemed familiar. It was the same hill he stood upon a couple of months ago. He looked over the battlefield, and he saw ruins of the houses that were burned a few months ago. A feeling of hatred barreled up within him, he could use that feeling in battle. "Alright, this is it men." Sun Quan suddenly spoke. "Here we will fight, and avenge our former lord and my father!" Sun Quan shouted. The soldiers yelled.

They started their assault upon the enemy base camp. However, they were hold up. A group of soldiers were standing about a 100 meters before the gates. One man was leading them. He had a grin on his face. "Alright boys, let's show them what we've got." Zhou Que observed the man. He seemed to enjoy battle more than anything. He didn't wear any chest armor, and he had tattoos all over his chest. He also wore a rope around his chest, bells attached to it. His blonde hair looked a bit like a lions mane, only then longer. As he fought, he used a sickle. He had a chain attached to his sickle. Probably so he had a greater reach, Zhou Que thought. The man looked at Zhou Que. "What are you looking at? Fight me instead!" He ran towards Zhou Que. "He then stood still, grinning. "Hear the bells? Then you know your time is up!" Zhou Que didn't say anything. He unsheathed his sword. He saw the man looking at his sword. He could use this distraction to launch the first hit. And he did, the man was surprised by this sudden attack. But he blocked the attack and redeemed himself. "Hmm…" He muttered. "You might be worth my time." He then rolled to the right and swung his sickle to Zhou Que, who dodged the attack, but then the man pulled the sickle back, causing Zhou Que to fall on his back. Zhou Que flipped on his feet, only to block yet another attack. The man swung his sickle horizontally, so it was only logic that Zhou Que blocked vertically. But as the weapons made contact, the sickle wrapped around Zhou Que's blade. The man laughed, as he pulled his weapon back to disarm Zhou Que. Zhou Que however saw all of this through and attacked the man. He got extra power because the man pulled his weapon away. The man, totally taken by surprise, yelled and rolled aside, but lost his weapon on the way. Zhou Que then threw the sickle on the ground. The man, still on his knees, smiled. "Haha, I've haven't had such a good fight in weeks. You truly are something aren't you?" Zhou Que, surprised by this reaction, thought of something. "What's your name?"he said. The man looked up, "I am Gan Ning of the bells," he said with pride. "Well then Gan Ning,you aren't so bad either, if you surrender now, we might even let you join us." Gan Ning looked at Zhou Que, "I prefer to just join you. Surrender is such a heavy word. And I still have my pride, of course." Zhou Que smiled. "Then fight with us to bring down Huang Zu."

"Alright then, let's have some real fun!" Gan Ning said. "I can get us into the main base. Let me handle this." Gan Ning ran towards the gates. "I am Gan Ning, I've come to consult with general Huang Zu! Open the gates!" The gates slowly opened. "Alright guys! We're with Wu now, let's kill Huang Zu!" Everyone ran inside. Sun Quan ran towards Zhou Que. "What's going on Zhou Que? Why are they fighting Huang Zu?" Zhou Que smiled. "It appears we have ourselves a new ally." Sun Quan smiled. "I don't know how you did it, but anyone who helps is welcome." He ran back. Zhou Que ran through the gates. Then he noticed all the archers in the center of the palace. That wasn't exactly what he hoped for. But then the archers suddenly turned around, screaming and running. And the Zhou Que knew it. Zhou Yu came through.

Zhou Yu ran towards Zhou Que. "We can handle it here! You must go and kill Huang Zu!" Zhou Que looked into the main tent of the camp. He saw Zhou Tai sprinting towards it, killing everyone in his path. "I don't think that will be necessary, Zhou Tai is already there." And right as he looked back, he saw Zhou Tai walk out of the tent. Sheathing his sword dramatically, as he always did at the end of a battle. The battle was already over.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

Zhou Que was ordered to patrol the north border of Wu. The soldiers were tired. Panting heavily. Zhou Que looked at them, he was tired as well, but didn't show that weakness to others. He turned around, now looking at his cousin, Zhou Tai didn't show any sign of being tired, but he knew every man had to be near fainting in this weather. Then he spoke. "We'll rest ahead, just a little more". After a couple hundreds of meters, the army stopped, a big forest lying in front of them, and the sun was slowly going to sleep. The men started making their camp for the night, it'll be a harsh walk through the forest, many soldiers believed in the ancient legends that came from the forest. Spirits killing a man with just a touch. Many soldiers were scared, but not many showed their fear. Zhou Que was curious, if there were spirits, it would be interesting to fight them. Zhou Que started to walk away from the camp, he liked to take a walk in the early evenings. He was alone and had time to think. Then he heard someone yelling from not far away. "What are you doing?" It was a young girl's voice. Zhou Que ran in the direction of the sound. Arriving under a grand plum tree, three huge men were surrounding a girl. The biggest one lifting the girl on her collar. The girl now started to yell again. "Oh haha! Picking on the small ones!" While saying this she started to throw her arms up and down, then she fell out of her cloth jacket. Directly after he feet touched the ground, she jumped up high, into the tree. "We know who you are shrine girl! Come down!" The girl sitting in one of the top branches, looked down, and stuck her tongue out. "Try to catch me ugly!" A cheeky voice added to it. Zhou Que stood there, a bit confused if he should help her. But in the end he did. He wasn't about to let those three harm a girl. Zhou Que stepped forward. One of the men turned around and looked at him. "Hey brother, look." He pointed at Zhou Que. The biggest man stopped looking at the girl and turned around at Zhou Que. "Aw I get it, you wanna save her 'eh? Well tough luck!" The man took a huge hammer he hid behind him and started to run at Zhou Que. "I'll smash you to pieces!" Zhou Que stepped forward, unsheating his sword and piercing the the man straight through his heart. The man collapsed, the other two, after seeing their brother fall, started to run. Fleeing from the scene. Zhou Que sheated his sword. And walked towards the tree, right under the tree, he picked up the cloth piece of wardrobe and looked up. The girl was sitting there. Zhou Que had a confused look on his face, the girl didn't look scared. But happy. A big grin covering her face. The she jumped down, landing right in front of his nose. She snatched the cloth and put in on. The cloak had a weird eye pattern on it, but he had no time to observe the cloth further as the girl started to happily jump up and down and talk. A lot.

The girl was happy. "Mr Tough guy! You are strooong!" She twirled around in happiness. Grinning from ear to ear. Then she stopped, looked at him, inhaled deeply and said. "You were liks shinng, and he was like rawr, and then you were like hahaa, and then" She continued showing the situation she just saw to him, weird movements, kicking and punching, then happily swinging her arms from one side to another. "You are amazing mr. Toughguy!" She then stopped. Looked at him. Maybe he was sleepy and didn't want to answer her. She smiled. "Soo, thank you for helping me, even though I didn't need any!" The girl then jumped back into the tree. Dissapearing under the thick layers of leaves.

Zhou Que stood there for a while. Analysing the situation. Well, he helped the girl. That was important. But why did they want her anyway. She was... To kindly put it. Abnormal. How can anyone be that happy in a situtaion like that. He signed. Turned around and started to make his way back to the camp.

Zhou Que kept thinking about that girl, there was something strange about her. And he had this feeling that they would meet again. Although he wasn't sure is he'd like that. She truly talked a lot. And she was very active, kind of annoying. But it didn't matter, he had to go home to Jiangdong, and get some rest.

A week later, Zhou Que woke up, he heard a sound. Something fell of his table. He pretended like he still slept, then suddenly, he grabbed a dagger nearby and jumped out of his bed. Then he was astonished. He lowered his dagger. The girl he saved a while ago stood before him, with a big smile. "Hey mr. Toughguy! I wanted to thank you for saving me back then! I brought you some peaches!" The girl shouted really loud. "Shhh! Keep it down! Do you want everyone to hear you?" Zhou Que whispered. The girl looked confused, then she continued, but a little more quiet this time. "I hope you like peaches, I've plucked them myself. So here for you." The girl tossed a peach to Zhou Que, still a bit confused, he catched it. "Uhmm, thank you?" He said. "Now get out of here, before they catch you!" The girl nodded, waved, and ran out of the tent. Zhou Que returned to his bed, but then he heard the sound of falling jars, and a little scream. "I'm alright!" He heard softly. Zhou Que sighed. Then he returned to bed.

About fifteen minutes, he woke up again. The girl was back. "Hey mr. Toughguy! I forgot to tell you, my name is Cu." A little cranky, Zhou Que nodded. "Very nice." He said. "Now get out of here before you get into trouble." Cu nodded, waved again, and ran out of the tent. Then she came back again. "Oh yeah, I also forgot to tell you, that the tents are moving." Zhou Que didn't know what to say for a moment. "What?" he just said. "The tents are moving! I can't get out like this!" The girl whispered in a happy tune. Zhou Que stood up. "I can't believe I'm doing this." he muttered. "Fine", he said. "I will get you out of here, but stay away then, ok?" Cu smiled, "Ok mr. Toughguy!"

When he came out of his tent, every tent stood still. "Ok mr. Toughguy! Come with me, I will show you!" Cu whispered. Cu ran forward. Zhou Que shuffled after the girl. Cu turned right, then again, then again and then again. They stood before Zhou Que's tent again. Cu looked amazed. "See?" She said. "The tents are moving!" Zhou Que understood what was going on. Cu totally had no sense of direction. She was lost, but didn't want to admit it, even to herself. "*Sigh*, I will show you the way out ok? Follow me" Cu cheered happily, "Yeey, ok mr. Toughguy!" Zhou Que walked outside the camp. "Well, shoo now. And don't come back ok?"He said sleepy. "Ok! Bye mr. Toughguy!" Cu said. Then she ran off. And as Zhou Que walked back to his tent, he noticed that it would be morning in an hour. Great, he thought. Now he might as well stay up till morning, there was no point in sleeping now.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

Zhou Que walked through the streets of Jiangdong. He looked at the people. They were busy, and working, but happy. It had been a quiet time. There hadn't been a great threat for five years now. Zhou Que was now officially a part of the 'Wu family' that lived in the castle. He felt like he was home, he was happy. When he came first to the city of Jiangdong, he was only a 18 year old boy. In the seven years that passed since then, he truly grew into an excellent general. He was proud of himself, and he was glad that he was such a lucky man, to find a home like this. Suddenly he woke up from his thoughts. A guard walked to him. "Lord Zhou Que, emperor Sun Quan has just received a message from Cao Cao, he wants to gather every able general to discuss it." the guard quickly said. "What does it say?" Zhou Que asked. "I'm sorry, my lord. I don't know. If you would follow me, please?" And he walked to the palace.

Cao Cao was a warlord who ruled the northwest of China, which he conquered at an enormous speed. Now he had conquered the north, he'd turned his gaze south. He first marched to the centre of China, the so called Jing province. Liu Zong, who ruled over Jing, immediately surrendered before Cao Cao, giving him Jing province. With that, he was the greatest warlord at the moment, and a threat to everybody. But what was the message about?

As he entered, he saw various generals already sitting around a table. Zhou Que took place next to Huang Gai, an old veteran, but still an excellent officer. "So, is everyone here?" Sun Quan spoke. "Then let us begin." He turned around. "As you all know, I've received a message from Cao Cao. I won't fence about it, it's a demand to surrender." Various faces went from curious to shocked. Zhou Que's face as well. A demand for surrender, he thought. This was a problem, if they surrendered, they wouldn't have a place of their own anymore, but if they didn't, they would face Cao Cao's fury by force of arms. And judging on large his army was, they were sure to lose. Suddenly lord Huang Gai stood up. "Who does he think he is?" He yelled with a low, loud voice. "He thinks we're just going to push our pride aside, and surrender? He's a madman!" He banged his hand on the table. "Huang Gai calm down!" Sun Quan said. We must think reasonable, and make the decision all together." Huang Gai regained himself and sat down. "I'm sorry my lord, I spoke out of my place." Sun Quan made a forgiving gesture and continued. "As you all know, this isn't a decision to be made instantly, we must think this through. Cao Cao has given us two weeks to answer his demand, so we're not drawing conclusions yet. If we…" Sun Quan was suddenly interrupted, slightly to his irritation. A messenger walked inside. "Forgive me to interrupt you my lord, but there is a message from lord Liu Bei." And as he spoke those words, another man walked inside. He wore a long white coat. His face looked very intelligent, an on it was a straight pointed mustache, and a straight little beard. What was remarkable that he also wore a fan with him, made of feathers. Zhou Que wasn't sure what bird they were from. The fan also had a red gemstone on its hilt. The man started to speak, with a calm and gentle voice. "Greetings, my lord. I bring the message from lord Liu Bei. My name is Zhuge Liang." Zhou Que noticed that some officers gazed in awe upon hearing that name, and started to mutter things to each other. Zhou Que asked Zhou Yu, who sat at his left side who he was, to Zhou Yu's astonishment. "You never heard of him? That's the legendary strategist Zhuge Liang. He is famous in all of China, maybe even beyond." Despite the fact that Zhou Yu still remained calm, Zhou Que could obviously see the admiration in Zhou Yu's face. With a man like this in our ranks, we should have a chance to win, Zhou Que thought. And as he thought those words, Zhuge Liang continued. "Lord Liu Bei has also seen the threat of Cao Cao, and he would like to request an alliance. To defeat Cao Cao together."


	13. Chapter 13

13.

It remained quiet. If Liu Bei proposed an alliance, they still wouldn't stand a chance. But surrender wasn't an option either. Suddenly someone stood up from his chair, it was a strategist, named Lu Su. "My lord, if I may?" Sun Quan nodded. "I would suggest to take this opportunity, not only to stand a better chance against Cao Cao, but also to improve relationships between Wu and Liu Bei." "Indeed," Zhuge liang spoke. "Even though we don't possess the largest number of men, with a great strategy, we have a much better chance to win." Sun Quan considered the request. "I… I need to think about this." Everyone nodded and went outside. Except lord Zhuge Liang, who stayed to convince Sun Quan a bit more.

When outside Zhou Que looked for Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu was standing alone against the palace walls, thinking. "My lord?" Zhou Que asked. "Why is this such a hard decision? If surrendering to Cao Cao is not an option, then why decline this request?" Zhou Yu turned to Zhou Que. "Indeed surrendering to Cao Cao is not an option, but to rush into resistance may also be a bad idea. Since Cao Cao's forces are in great number. We may be able to negotiate with Cao Cao. To give everyone benefit." "And I'm sure we have to serve Cao Cao if we negotiate?" He asked. "That would probably the case." Zhou Que wasn't so sure anymore. First he thought this was an easy matter, but with all those other options, this would be a bit harder.

After a couple of hours they were called back. When everyone took place. Sun Quan stood up. "Ive decided." He said shortly. He turned around and walked behind his desk. Suddenly he took his sword and slashed the desk in half. Everyone was astonished, this was the last they'd expect. Sun Quan looked to the generals. " We will fight! We will oppose Cao Cao, even though we have a large chance to lose. But I have fate in Wu, fate in you all!" He turned to the desk. "Anyone who dares suggest surrender, will share this desks fate." The council cheered. Except Zhou Tai of course. He would never show his emotion to anyone. He just smiled a little. "Lord Zhuge Liang," Sun Quan said. "I would be pleased if you and my main strategist Zhou Yu would work together on a splendid strategy." Both Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu stood up. "It would be my pleasure." They both said. They bowed, and walked out of the room. Zhou Que was relieved, but there was no time for recklessness. This would be one of the greatest battles in history.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

As Zhou Que walked into the palace, he noticed that lord Zhou Yu and lord Zhuge Liang were discussing something. They're probably discussing the strategy for the upcoming battle, Zhou Que thought. He went onwards, but then he stood still. He was actually pretty curious about what they came up with, they had been discussing the matter for over a week now. He decided to ask them about it. "Good afternoon, my lords." He said as he walked in the room. The room was quite simple, in the middle stood a long table. On the table was a map, probably from the area were the two sides would clash. On the map you could see two sides of land, separated by the sea. On the north side was a twisting, winding path through the mountains, which would eventually lead to a field. On the south side, there were two parts of land. One at the bottom left and one at the bottom right corner of the map. In the middle of the two corners of land there was a large wooden platform. "How is the strategy going? Have you come up with something yet?" Zhou Yu pointed at the map, to the north side of the land. "This is where Cao Cao's forces will be at the beginning. We will be at the south side. Cao Cao will use a huge naval force to bring us down." Zhou Que sat down and rubbed his beard. "With how many are they?" "400.000 men at least."

Zhou Que's eyes widened. He knew that Cao Cao had an advantage of number, but he didn't knew it would be this big. "And with how many are we?" He asked unsure. Zhou Yu smiled. "Do I smell uncertainty in you, lord Zhou Que?" Zhou Que didn't fence about it. "Well, yes." He said shortly. "How do we stand a chance against such a large opponent?" Zhuge Liang stepped forward. "A battle is not won with strength alone."He said in the same wise and calm tone as always. "Certainly not with strength of arms alone. If lord Zhou Yu and I combine our minds, we will forge a plan greater than any other. With such a plan, the chance of victory will greatly improve." Zhou Que seemed more certain now. "I see…" He said thinking. "But don't underestimate this matter." Zhuge Liang continued. "This will still be a most difficult battle." Zhou Que stood up. "Understood my lord." And as he walked away, he said: "We better pray to the heavens then. If only they could just blow Cao Cao's forces away…" Zhuge Liang's eyes widened. Zhou Que turned around. "What is it my lord?" "Blow Cao Cao's forces away…" He mumbled. As he noticed that Zhou Yu and Zhou Que were watching him, he shook his head. "Never mind, it is nothing."

As Zhou Que walked out of the room he remembered that he actually had no idea who Liu Bei was. They were allies now, but who was he? He decided to ask Zhou Tai. He walked toward some guards who were chatting. As he came by, they immediately stood back into position. "Were is Zhou Tai?" Zhou Que asked. "He is taking a walk through the palace gardens," one of the guards said. Zhou Que made a grateful gesture and moved on.

As he saw Zhou Tai walking Zhou Que walked towards him. "Cousin, do you mind if I join you in your walk?" "No, I don't." Zhou Tai said shortly. As they walked Zhou Que said looked at Zhou Tai. "Can I ask you something?" "You just did." Zhou Tai said without looking back. Zhou Que sighed and continued. "Can you tell me who exactly lord Liu Bei is?" Zhou Tai looked at him. "You don't know?" "If I did, why should I ask you?" Zhou Tai rolled his eyes. "Lord Liu Bei is an actual descendant of the Han." He said. The Han is who ruled the land sometime ago. They made the Han- dynasty, but that ended sometime ago. "Why doesn't he claim his right to the throne then?"Zhou Que asked. "Because he doesn't have the strength to do so."Zhou Tai said. "He is a wanderer, serving other lords, despite the fact that he isn't serving one right now. He doesn't even have a place to call home. And even if he had, he is too soft to rebel against the empire. He is a man of virtue, and very merciful. But the very same qualities keep him from becoming stronger." Zhou Que nodded. "But how come that he survived this chaos then?" "He has the right men at his side. He is the sworn brother of Zhang Fei, and also of Guan Yu, the god of war." Zhou Que lifted an eyebrow. "The god of war?" Zhou Tai nodded. "Yes, and that is not just a title out of formality, that man is magnificent. And now Liu Bei has the legendary Zhuge Liang in his ranks. I think we might hear more of him, provided that we survive the upcoming battle, that is."


End file.
